Nom de Plume

My friend Pete Gade writes:

You said it, sister. In the face of this, writing a check almost feels … empty. And that’s not an admonishment of the people who are doing what they can to help given the scope of this disaster. Really, you’re right, giving money should feel like it helps. But that, of course, assumes an infrastructure and PLAN to translate those dollars into direct and immediate aid.

This administration is a farce. How many years have we had this Homeland Security cabal in place? Certainly enough time to have some semblance of an infrastructure that can be put into action in an expeditious manner … right, RIGHT?

Meanwhile, some people I know have family that can thank a a independent truck driver more than they can thank Bush and Co. One of Kelly’s best friends from childhood has family in NO. They were holed up in their aprartment wondering how the hell they could run the guantlet of looters and Ntl. Guard units forcing people back into their homes when a knock came at the door. It was a trucker. He was trolling the neighborhood, door-to-door, and loading people into the back of his trailer. That’s how they got out, and they have the courage of an individual to thank. If anything, the government only exacerbated their situation by driving them back behind a shuttered door.

I pray, Zia, even though I’m not the praying kind, that this is the blow that knocks this administration from its false pedestal. Even republican idolitry cannot withstand this and Iraq, can it? Can it?

So, my brother-in-law and his wife took their three kids to Memphis pretty early on. They took no chances. Meanwhile, my sister-in-law’s sister and her husband waited a bit longer than they should have … despite the fact that she was 38 weeks pregnant. They got out and sought shelter in a hotel next to a hospital in central Mississippi. With their Honda genny in tow, they rode it out there and kept the pop machines humming so people could at least have something to drink. They’re up in Memphis now, with a brand new babe born Saturday.

Needless to say, our relief efforts are pretty immediate. We’ve sent a big box of toys, clothes, and newborn items (we have that portion down pat, in particular) their way. I can say this: it’s terrible that we have such a direct means of providing help to someone in need. Still, I’m hoping that more people can find a way of “adopting” a family and providing assistance directly. The needs are pretty immediate now.

Giving to the Red Cross is always a good idea, but I know that there are families homesteading in new cites with no work, kids who need to go to school, and with babies being born. Who knows what kind of aid they’re getting right now, and to what extent it meets their immediate needs beyond shelter and a meal. There’s much, much, much more to it than that.

It’s not like they’re going home any time soon.

-P